A noun names something or somebody. A proper noun names something or somebody specific. For example Mary, Colorado, etc. COMPOUND NOUNS: Words such as mother-in-law, swimming pool, Memorial Day, breakthrough, etc. COLLECTIVE NOUNS: Groups may be thought of as a single unit, such as in “my family.”

The PERSONAL POSSESSIVES yours, theirs, its, hers, and ours HAVE NO APOSTROPHE. Avoid the common mistake of using it’s for its. IT’S is a contraction, meaning “it is”, while ITS is a possessive.

VERBS

1.Verbs have two voices: active and passive. An active verb indicates the subject is acting: The professor teaches the class. A passive verb indicates the subject acted upon: The class is taught by the professor. 2. Verbs are transitive or intransitive. A transitive verb requires a direct object to complete its meaning: John likes Mary (Object: Mary). An intransitive verb doesn’t take a direct object to complete its meaning. It represents action without a specific goal: John runs every morning (where just John runs would have been sufficient.) The same verb may be transitive in one sentence, and intransitive in another: John reads newspapers.(Transitive)John reads well. (Intransitive)The verb “to be” (is, was, etc.) is often considered a linking verb, because it links subject with *predicate without transmitting a specific action:

Hank is a student.

(*Predicate: is made up of all the parts of sentence excluding the subject.)

3.Verbs come in three moods: indicative, subjunctive, and imperative.

An indicative mood indicates a fact. If it’s asking a question, then it’s a question about a fact: John loves Mary. Does Mary love John?

A subjunctive mood indicates a wish or thought rather than a fact: If I were smart, I would start working on my term paper today.

An adverb modifies a verb: She spoke politely. He plays the piano beautifully. They quickly ran up the stairs.

PREPOSITIONS

A preposition connects a noun or a pronoun with a verb, an adjective, or another pronoun: The luggage with the blue ribbon.

CONJUNCTIONS

Conjunctions join sentences or part of sentences together. There are two types: coordinating and subordinating: COORDINATING Conjunctions – and, or, but, nor, for, so, yet – connect words of equal grammatical rank: My brother and I got up late, but we still managed to get to school on time. SUBORDINATING Conjunctions – e.g. who, that, although, if, when – connect a main clause with a subordinate one: When I sleep too much, I feel as if I’m in a daze.